Chapter 16: Run Before You Walk (Part 3)

"So, did you get suddenly roped into this whole little quest as well?"

"As if. I'm in it deliberately and for a purpose."

The smaller male proudly crossed his arms, announcing, "As a legendary dragon it's only natural that I go and seek out conflict, to grow my power and spread my wings. Saving the realm of Fairies is simply a means to an end."

The seemingly callous and cold words were promptly undercut by the Fairy on his shoulder cooing, "Aww, you're so adorable when you try to be a hardass about everything~! C'mon, lose the tough guy demeanor and admit that you just wanted to help."

A quick smooch on the cheek caused the silver-haired youth to twitch and swiftly protest with, "Stop doing that! I told you I'm just trying to become stronger, don't always go saying weird things!"

"Yup, you keep up with that lone wolf attitude, it's just so adorable when you also go out of your way to help people~!"

Cayman stared at the little interaction with no shortage of interest, mind already mixing and matching parts of lore he was familiar with against the scene playing out before him. Vali Lucifer had been something of a deuteragonist in the DxD source material, a half-blooded Human and Devil who had basically been given the short end of the fuckstick early on in life. Shamed and ignored by most of his family, forced to run away from home and finally managing to find sanctuary with the Fallen Angels the kid had grown up with quite the 'interesting' band of role models that had lead to him becoming a little bit 'extra' in his early years, eventually turning into battle mania further down the line because honestly, what else was supposed to happen with such a motley collection of guiding figures throughout his life? Slash Dog was good for him but he wouldn't exactly call the band of Human mercenaries, contractors and Supernatural powerhouses a standard nuclear family.

So the fact that Vali apparently had a contracted Fairy was quite the interesting paradigm. Interesting enough that Cayman couldn't help but wonder if it would massively influence the youth's future course, since having a loving and unconditionally loyal 'family' was what the Longinus wielder had always desired.

"Ooh, Jesie! It's been too long since we've seen each other! And you even got a Contractor as well!"

"Hi, Till! Yup, bagged myself a real cutey and sweetheart, even if he tries his hardest not to show it~! Vali, say hello."

Vali rolled his eye but nonetheless looked away with a blush, Cayman silently using his lousy version of structural appraisal or whatever the fuck it was to get a better idea of what he was dealing with.

Vali Lucifer, Devil-Hybrid LVL 26

HP: 2400

MP: 49,000 + (2450)

STA: 4000

STR: 300

DEF: 300

AGI: 400

MAG: 1800 + (90)

MAG DEF: 1000 + (50)

"Yup. That's a hybrid of incredible pedigree for you, all power and stupid leves of strength even though he's probably only, what? Thirteen years old?"

Shaking that humbling thought to the side Cayman just reflected that it was at least going to be easier on him to not be dealing with the male's older self, that would have been a headache and a half.

"Nice to meet you, Vali. Name's Cayman Lute, Surveyor of Sanctuary."

Those words seemed to get the youth's attention, hand ignored as the silverette instead gained a fire in his eye-

"We can have a spar or whatever once we're done with the current crisis, not now."

-and instead begrudgingly simmered down, proffered hand still ignored as Jesie heaved out a tired sigh.

"Sorry, he's still shy around strangers."

"I am not shy. And what is she doing here?"

Cayman followed Vali's pointed finger, amusedly remembering that Lilim had gotten dragged along for the ride...and she did not look like she was handling the sudden warp all that well, pale-faced and gazing around the terrain with wide eyes, spaded tail lashing nervously.

"Oh, that's Lilim. She's here to help."

"H-HUH?! I'M HERE TO HELP?!"

Both males ignored the succubus's panicked scream, Vali disappointedly remarking, "What use is she going to be? She seems even weaker than you."

"H-hey, that's big talk from a midget!"

Yet again the Demon's protest went ignored, Cayman shrugging as he replied, "True, but it's not like she's useless. Illusions, deception and other skills have their place. Besides…"

The male smirked and ruffled the Succubus' hair, ignoring the dirty look she sent his way at the action.

"I'm more a support type myself, with the four of us backing you up you'll be able to fight more effectively."

"Hmph. I don't need help. A Dragon fights best along-OW!"

Jesie pinched his ear, trilling, "Don't be a jerk, Vali~!"

Before the interplay could continue both Fairies suddenly stiffened, taking to the air and bowing towards an approaching figure that Cayman turned towards-

-and raised an eyebrow, inwardly musing, "Damn, is that Till's hot older sister?"

The Fairy that gracefully levitated towards them was much larger than her other brethren, coming in at just under two feet tall and bore a striking resemblance to his own contracted Fairy. Same shade of hair - albeit flecked with attractive shades of pink - and eyes while having a slightly less busty figure adorned in shimmering waves of white silk and blue fabric that left little to the imagination.

"Alright, let's see who THIS powerhouse is."

Tien-Titania, Fairy Queen, LVL 90

HP: 4000

MP: 200,000

STA: 15,000

STR: 150

DEF: 350

AGI: 400

MAG: 9500

MAG DEF: 15,000

"Christ almighty. And the worst part is that people like Odin and Lugh were just showing up as blanks so they're even more scary than this. And let's not forget base stats can shift at a moment's notice like it did with Yukikaze and Jinglei. Christ this ability sucks donkey balls."

Snapping out of his ruminations as the woman floated to a halt he watched Till shoot forward, glomping the other Fairy in a hug as she squealed, "It's so good to see you, mother! I finally found my contractor, see?!"

While an affectionate smile appeared on the woman's face - Cayman belatedly realizing he would definitely have to make a good first impression on the female lest she turn him into Fairy Dust or something - he nonetheless kept his cool, the assumed queen of the Fairies replying, "And it's good to see you as well, daughter. Especially since - despite the fact that you returned to inform us of your absence - you neglected to tell me personally."

And just like that the air took on a fair tinge of awkwardness. Awkwardness that was only exacerbated as the taller Fairy continued with, "Or that you were going to go ahead and commence with a ritual far outside our territory that would have put you in great amounts of danger...as it did two of our own?"

Guilt appeared on Till's features as Cayman detected a surge of negative emotion emanating from her, the Gamer inwardly sighing as he stepped forward to intercede on behalf of his partner-

"But for now you will simply have to show me that it was all for a good cause, threat approaches our borders and as princess it falls to you to neutralize it."

Just like that Cayman's Fairy was full of vigor, floating upwards as she enthusiastically responded, "You bet, mother! Cayman and I will show you just how strong we really are!"

"Wait, we will? I honestly figured we would just let Vali carry us."

Casting aside that thought as the Fairy queen gave him an evaluating look Cayman immediately understood the purpose of the whole little show they were currently engaged in. Since the Queen was apparently free at the moment it was obvious she wasn't going to go and turn the invaders into paste because she wanted to see how they worked together...or at least how he worked with Till.

He wasn't about to complain. If his little girl - that he'd never actually had in his previous life - suddenly went off with some strange, unknown guy he'd want assurance too.

So all he did was nod, replying, "I'll keep her out of trouble, your majesty. Till's pretty violent and likes to get into the thick of things, after all."

"W-what?! Cayman, don't tease me!"

His contracted Fairy returned to his side and instantly began pulling on his ear, Jesie snickering as she added, "Till? A raging berserker? Not likely, she was a big crybaby when we were all learning together-"

"O-okay, I think we've chatted enough, let's start going to deal with these invaders, why don't we?!"

Cayman smirked even as he reassuringly pet the Fairy's silken hair, noting that Titania - and wasn't that overlap with several different mythologies and names going to be confusing - was also appearing a great deal less tense and wary than she had been prior.

+5 REP with Tien-Titania [5/100]!

"Well that is undoubtedly a good thing, at least. She's not planning to erase me from existence, at least not yet."

"Are we done here? Or am I not needed to actually fight this supposed threat?"

Vali's idle complaint brought them back to the heart of the matter, Titania nodding as she stated, "Then you are free to depart, a pack of Dark Beasts has made its way to our borders and is in need of extermination. Go forth and ensure their demise, my kin."

"You got it, your majesty~!"

Jesei's response was cheerful and confident, the only remaining speedbump being Titania focusing on Lilim with a mild frown, the Succubus promptly leaping behind Cayman to use as a shield as the Gamer inwardly sighed.

He'd gotten her involved in all of this - however inadvertently - so it was only fair he got her out of it. Besides, she couldn't work for him if she was dead or imprisoned.

And what the fuck was with Titania? Sure, everything and anything seemed on the table in this wacky reality but he did not remember Till having a mother. Then again a lot of Taimanin side characters were light on details in regards to their history and various affiliations. Might as well get used to that particular facet of things.

"If you don't mind me saying so, your majesty, the Demon here has nothing to do with any of this and offered to help anyway, even though she was dragged along without consent. Maybe cut her some slack?"

Thankfully the Succubus had the brains to not blurt out that it wasn't her intention in the slightest and simply nodded fervently, the monarch doubtfully replying, "If you insist. Now go, we shall speak again when you return. Jesie and my daughter can guide you to the northern palms, that's where the incursion lies."

"About time, you four can stay here, only I'm needed to-"

Cayman's hand snaked outwards and grabbed Vali by the ear before he could take to the skies on his four Devil wings, the male yelping as the Gamer calmly stated, "Easy does it, trigger. We're doing this together."

"Together? What use do I have for that, when I can easily handle everything and anything that we might face? If nothing else you'll all slow me down."

Jesie pouted at that, Cayman calmly retorting, "Yes, but we can't and we're doing this as a team. Besides, in the unlikely event that something unexpected happens we'll be excellent support and you won't have to worry your contracted Fairy."

The youth shifted slightly, grumbling, "She'll be fine…"

Obviously not one to miss an easy target Jesie hugged his neck, cooing into the male's ear, "C'mon, Vali...for me, please?"

That was obviously the straw that broke the camel's back, the silver-haired male folding like pressed laundry as he complained, "Fine! But I don't want any of you slowing me down!"

"I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die…"

Cayman ignored Lilim's shellshocked muttering, instead motioning for everyone to follow the eager hybrid as they took off at a fast sprint, Lilim hesitating for a moment before groaning to herself, following suit as she took to the air with a resigned air. This was not how she had thought the day was going to go.


"So you feel up for a little conversation while we run?"

"No. Talk is for equals."

"I agree. So let's talk. How did you end up meeting Jesie?"

Clearly annoyed by the request but answering it nonetheless Vali replied, "She helped me when I was alone, leave it at that."

"When you were kicked out by your family, you mean?"

-5 REP with Vali Lucifer [-5/100]!

The hostile look that accompanied the notification had Cayman peaceably raising his hand, running damage control with, "I'm a part of Sanctuary, remember? It'd be strange if I didn't know where the wielder of Divine Dividing came from or what his circumstances were. Like it or not you are a person of importance and power in this world."

There was a noticeably bitter tinge to Vali's words as he replied, "Of course. It's my pedigree and heritage that matters, as it always does."

Slipping past a collection of trees and other fallen vegetation - thankful that his gained levels meant he could sprint and talk without much difficulty - the Gamer replied, "Well here's your chance, kid. Why don't you tell me about Vali instead of Lucifer?"

The youth sent him a perplexed look that nonetheless preceded a slow response of, "Well…when I wake up in the morning I begin to exercise immediately. Sprints, lunges and other things. Then I eat breakfast. Eggs, fruit or whatever leftovers there are in the fridge. Then I-"

Cayman groaned, stating, "Really, kid? I didn't ask for your workout routine, I asked for something that's unique to you."

The hybrid looked confused at the request, Cayman sighing before stating, "How about this? Why don't we swap notes on what each of us is capable of doing and figure out a fun way to exterminate the pack that we're charged with destroying?"

That seemed to fully get the male's attention, attitude perking and mood intrigued as the older man grinned.

"How would you like to hear about my magic that can make you hit things harder?"

+10 REP with Vali Lucifer [5/100]!

Lilim grumbled from where she was sticking close, muttering, "Oh great, I'm stuck with a bunch of lunatics. Cool."

She was subsequently ignored, the two Fairies watching the proceedings from high overhead and quietly chatting as they watched their contractors interact.

"Your contractor is pretty slick, Till. He's got my grumpy little Dragon already invested beyond what most people can do in a month."

Till giggled as she watched Vali enthusiastically nod and listen as Cayman explained what his abilities could do, Jesie teasingly adding, "If he wasn't your chosen I'd be worried he has impure intentions for my little Vali."

"Oh he has plenty of 'impure' intentions, it's just that most of the things he's done so far have been for the better or just making the best of a bad situation. He won't do anything mean to your partner, Jesie."

They both gave the nervous Succubus an uncertain glance, Jesie asking, "So what's her story?"

"Not sure, Cayman wanted to hire her for something before she just got dragged along for the ride. I don't think she'll cause trouble."

"Well if you say so…"

Eager to satiate her curiosity Till asked, "So how did you stumble across a Longinus wielder of all things?"

"Pure chance, really. I was visiting the Familiar Forest in the Underworld to chat with some friends when I sensed a powerful soul in distress, stumbling aimlessly, in bad shape and in a great deal of emotional pain."

The Fairy shrugged, features locked into a pained grimace as she said, "What was I supposed to do but help the poor boy? And while he has a nice support group of friends and allies now he's a little too hyper-focused on gaining strength to prove his self-worth when there's already plenty of people who see beyond his heritage."

A more perverse giggle left the Fairy.

"Another year or two before he'll really reach proper maturity and then I can show him how much I care in a more intimate way~!"

Till blushed, Jesie naturally spotting it as she immediately pounced, asking, "Oh ho? Have you and yours already sealed the deal? Till, I'm proud of you~! We figured you would be the last one to get all hot and sexy with your contractor!"

"Hey!"

Ignoring her protest the other Fairy flew in circles around her flushed companion, excitedly asking, "So? How did it feel? Did it hurt or did it feel good? C'mon, I want to know!"

"W-we didn't go that far into things, okay? He made me cum a few times and I sucked down a lot of his seed but we didn't go any further than that."

"Eh? Why not?"

Pushing the tips of her fingers together Till mumbled, "It was...well he was a little bit big. Big enough that I wanted to get mother's advice on things and he was nice enough to wait."

"Too big? Till, even if our contractor was a Dwarf he would be bigger than us."

"Nine inches and pretty thick 'bigger' than us?"

Jesie cooed, musing, "Yow, I see what you mean. Yeah, maybe chat with your mom and see what she knows about making it work without making it feel like you're being fucked by a mountain."

A more amused smile appeared on the other Fairy's lips.

"But he does sound like a really nice sweetheart, willing to wait on you like that~!"

Till giggled, absolutely agreeing with her friend's conclusion.


"Alright, so we're ready to do this? Clear on the plan and everything?"

Vali rolled his eyes, obviously eager to get into the thick of things as he testily replied, "We've gone over it before."

"Yeah. Once. Easy does it, tiger. They're still pretty far out."

Crossing his arms in clear annoyance the hybrid nonetheless did as asked, the group hidden in a towering tree as they observed their quarry drawing near, a group of twelve Dark Beasts while a member of their species almost three times in size and weight leading the way with purposeful sniffs of its muzzle.

Their journey across the Fairy's realm had thankfully been expedited by teleporting gates that whisked them across great distances until they finally arrived at their target destination, waiting for only a few minutes before they'd spotted the target of their mission.

Rising to his feet Vali began to stretch and roll his neck, lips peeling into an eager grin as Cayman asked, "You sure you can handle the big one, kid?"

"Of course. You just attack the small fry and everything will work perfectly."

Lilim drew close to Cayman's side, muttering, "Remind me again why I'm even bothering to help you with this?"

"Because we're your ticket out of here, the Fairy Queen didn't look like she approved of your presence and once we're back - provided you still want to work for me - for the first month I'll double your salary."

The Succubus perked, Cayman nudging her shoulder with his as he added, "You can work with low-level illusions and hypnotism, just stick close, confuse the smaller Dark Beasts and I'll handle anything that draws close, you don't have to risk life and limb unless we die first, deal?"

"Ugh, fine."

Amused by the young woman's response he looked towards Till and Jesie, both of them perched on Vali's shoulders and ready to offer support, Cerb settled onto his haunches and eagerly panting as he watched the hunting Dark Beasts with a keen eye.

And there was indeed a beast of a target they were up against.

Dark Beast Alpha, Level 43

HP: 7000

MP: 1000

STA: 1800

STR: 450

DEF: 500

AGI: 550

MAG: 120

MAG DEF: 200

"I mean Vali will probably be just fine with the Fairies and myself backing him up. I hope. Christ this is going to be awkward if I get one of the canon characters killed by accident."

Shrugging to himself he merely patted Vali on the back, remarking, "Go get em', kid. I'll buff you as soon as you make contact."

"About time!"

Spreading his wings and taking off in a burst of speed Cayman huffed out a sigh, giving Jesie and Till a wry look as he stated, "Keep him safe?"

"We'll certainly try~!"

Jesie seemed perfectly at home with Vali's battlelust, Till swooping after her friend as Lilim bluntly stated, "Should I be surprised that the wielder of one of the Heavenly Dragons is a complete nutjob?"

"Should I be surprised that you even know what a Longinus wielder is?"

"Hey I'm not stupid!"

Chuckling at the Demon's protest Cayman let out a calming sigh, watching the battlefield as Vali drew close, the man raising a hand as the hybrid was finally noticed by the Dark Beasts.

"[Offensive Drive!]"

A barking roar left the Alpha as the silverette cocked a fist back, gleaming metallic wings of blue and white sprouting from his back as the Sacred Gear activated alongside a shout of [DIVIDE!] from the draconic soul encased within.

The Alpha roared despite the effect of the Longinus surrounding it in a haze of blue light before meeting Vali's charge head on-

-and Cayman had to resist wincing as, even from the distance he was at, he could hear the resulting CRACK that sent both combatants reeling, Vali's arm flopping about and the Alpha yipping as it kept the weight off of the leg it had used to swipe with.

"Jesus, maybe I shouldn't have used Offensive Drive if that was the result."

Not that it seemed to hinder the Devil at all. If anything he looked positively delighted at the result of his increased strength at the cost of defense, Till and Jesie already healing his mangled arm back to working condition. So instead of worrying he looked to see what the result of a Divide did to a target.

Dark Beast Alpha, Level 43

HP: 7000

MP: 500

STA: 900

STR: 350

DEF: 500

AGI: 550

MAG: 60

MAG DEF: 100

"Interesting. So it affects magic related stats and whatever STA does, but leaves the rest. Either because that's how it works in this universe or Vali is still getting the hang of how it functions. Well at least it's more consistent than whatever the fuck DxD's original power scaling was. Shrinking the size of reality until it's too small to exist? Yeah, sorry, explain to me how the FUCK that works."

His personal quibbles aside the battle quickly took on a far more violent and feral tinge, the hybrid launching himself into a past-paced melee battle with the beast as the two Fairies provided both shielding and healing, staying up high so that the rest of the Dark Beasts couldn't hit them.

Well, that was the plan, at least until some of the enterprising quadrupeds tried to scale the trees and attack from a more even elevation. Which is precisely where he came into play.

Manifesting the steel spear and taking careful aim as gifted instinct took over the Gamer muttered, "[Volt Thrust]" and watched as an arc of electricity crossed the distance before striking one of the Dark Beasts just before it was going to leap from its perch, jerking and spasming as it fell to the dirt far below while Cerb took care of another, launching a lukewarm but still dangerous stream of embers onto a second Demon that yelped in agony as its eyes were scorched, tumbling off of its elevated position.

The tree they were on shook, Cayman glancing down as two Dark Beasts had apparently gotten ambitious and were now scaling directly towards them-

-at least until one of the Demons suddenly lunged to the side and attacked its fellow, a yelp of protest accompanying the pair of them falling off their perch as the Gamer looked to the side, Lilim's brow furrowed and lower lip bit as she focused on the duo in order to create some kind of illusion or shift in perception.

"Not bad. And here I thought she would be undifferentiated dead weight."

Putting the finishing touch on things he launched a [Galeforce] towards the Dark Beasts and finished them off as lethal winds shredded their flesh, Lilim gasping for air as she turned to face the male, Cayman fully prepared to compliment her-

"THIS SUCKS! Working for you sucks and the fact that you're paying good money sucks!"

-and instead chuckled, teasing, "Wait until you move beyond the initial wages before you go accusing me of paying 'good' money. Nice job on diverting them, by the way. [Frost Lance!]"

A sharpened icicle impaled another creature through the eye socket, Cayman idly reflecting that his spells were pretty malleable. They weren't restricted to simply one effect, [Frost Lance] had been able to both freeze the ground around his feet, launch a wave of chilled air and fire off a sharp chunk of ice as thick and long as his arm, completely subservient to his will and needs.

He was starting to get the impression that his 'spells' weren't really video game equivalents where they did one or two things but more like convenient titles for much more complicated phenomenon. Sure would fit with what Hoestia had hinted at.

While he continued to pick off the Dark Beasts he kept most of his attention on the fight between Vali and the Alpha...although calling it a fight may have been a bit on the generous side.

The Devil was dancing circles around the creature thanks to his wings and natural agility, constantly Dividing its power and launching streams of silver-black energy that left ragged wounds wherever they touched, the occasional blow received either expertly reflected with a sharp kick or punch while the two Fairies could shield or lessen the rest of the impacts. The kid had apparently decided getting in too close wasn't the best way to go about things.

Really, the only exciting part of the battle was the finisher, Vali slipping past a wide swipe of bloodied claws before ramming a handspear through the Alpha's eye, the twitching beast promptly destroyed from the inside out by another blast of primal energy.

"Oh well, I'm not about to bemoan an easy victory."

He and Cerb finished off the last Dark Beast before the group spent a minute or two making sure they weren't about to be ambushed before reconvening in the treetops, Vali all smiles even as Till and Jesie healed a nasty looking bruise on the side of his neck.

"Hell of a fight out there, kid."

"As I thought, your aid was completely unnecessary."

Lilim bristled at Vali's blunt words as Jesie sighed in exasperation, Cayman merely smirking as he replied, "True, having seen you in action you could handled all of them on your own, no backup at all. You can fly, they can't and Divine Dividing would allow you to keep replenishing your energy, even if they didn't have much to begin with."

Both males stared each other down, a tense silence building between them...and Vali broke first, eyes averting themselves as he mumbled, "It was...fun, having others enhance my abilities and allow me to focus on what I wanted to."

+5 REP with Vali Lucifer [10/100]!

Jesie promptly smooched the younger man on the cheek, cooing, "Aww, you're growing up to be such a nice young man, Vali~!"

"Y-you don't need to make such a scene out of something so small!"

Shaking his head amusement the Gamer stated, "Alright, if we're done here then we might as well start heading back before Lilim has a panic attack."

"Hey, I was doing just fine!"

Giving the Succubus an amused look Cayman was pleasantly surprised at Vali's eager words of, "So on the way back can we discuss further strategies? Or do you have additional magic that can make others fight better? A proper Dragon always seeks to sharpen its claws!"

"Well this is a pleasant little surprise, although I'm not about to turn down the offer."

"Sure thing, kid. Now pay attention, I live and die on strategy or bullshit, sometimes both."

They departed without further comment as Cayman briefly regretted having to leave behind the various corpses but they weren't in the best of conditions and his inventory was packed as it was, now way he was going to fit more than a few in there. Although speaking of inventory expansion…

[The Fairy Champion, Siege 1 completed!]

[Details: You defended the borders of the Fairy territory with no casualties.]

[Rewards: 5000 EXP, 100 Reign.]

Add in the EXP he got from taking down the Dark Beasts and everything else that had occurred, well, it was quite the nice chunk of change.

Cayman Lute, LVL 21

HP: 1100

MP: 4200 + (420)

STA:2100

STR: 120

DEF: 130

AGI: 250

MAG: 380 + (38)

MAG DEF: 480 + (48)

REIGN: 330

EXP: 1050/2100

It wasn't just him, either. Till and Lilim got their own little boosts alongside his own, although not as potent. Apparently fighting by his side was enough to include the Succubus as a part of his 'group'.

Lilim, Succubus, LVL 14

HP: 800

MP: 2100

STA: 1100

STR: 75

DEF: 90

AGI: 160

MAG: 320

MAG DEF: 270

EXP: 1100/1400

Till, Fairy Princess, LVL 35

HP: 300

MP:8000

STA: 10,000

STR: 10

DEF: 50

AGI: 500

MAG: 800

MAG DEF: 900

EXP: 3300/3500

Cerb was even better, having reaped the full benefits from the twelve Demons they'd killed.

Cerb, Hellhound Pup (Summoned Companion), LVL 9

HP: 275

MP:110

STA: 260

STR: 55

DEF: 55

AGI: 185

MAG: 55

MAG DEF: 110

EXP: 300/1000

SKILLS: Odor Tracking, Immature Flames, Immature Breeding, Immature Body.

An amused chuckle left Cayman as he stared at his stats, inwardly musing, "Only nine more to go until thirty...maybe I'll get something approximating real answers then."